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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. kid — to tease
  6. track — a song
  7. race — a contest
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — certain
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. race — the arms race
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bound — obliged
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. track — to keep track
  21. race — humankind
  22. kid — child
  23. prune — to trim
  24. track — a path

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com